It’s a common myth to think that estate planning is just for people who have significant assets. On the contrary, many things must be handled after the death of a loved one, which many loved ones left behind must contend with.
The process of handling all this paperwork is often confusing and overwhelming. If your affairs are in order before you pass on, even if your death is sudden and unexpected, much of the paperwork needs to be handled by someone with experience in estate planning Orlando-based.
Wills Can Be Contested
Depending on the setup of the will, the vocabulary included, new family relationships that may have occurred before the passing, and more, a will can be challenged. The process involves kicking off a legal process through the court. Until the matter is resolved, a person’s estate, assets, and more cannot change titles, be given away, sold, or distributed in any other manner. Sometimes these processes can take months. During this time, bill collectors won’t stop calling.
Red Tape Can Take Forever
In the current economic landscape, there are process delays at almost every turn. It’s no different when it comes to processing death certificates. The longer that a death certificate takes to get where it needs to go, the longer it takes the surviving family to access and control accounts. Not having access to accounts shortly after death can place terrible financial strains on a family.
Guardianship May Be Faught Over
Depending on the structure of your family situation, people with children involving more than one spouse may also have to deal with battles over child support payments or the desire to keep certain siblings in contact with one another. These struggles place even more burden, confusion, and trauma on the children.
Estate Planning Now Fixes These Things
By working with a qualified estate attorney, you can know your surviving family members can make a far easier transition to settling your affairs after. Estate planning also leaves you firmly in control over asset distribution, guardianship choices, trust account creation, and inheritance decisions. The estate attorney will help draft the documents that banks, stock companies, courts, and other agencies will need to give surviving families access to the accounts.